"I played the last 15 years for Sri Lanka and it's an honour to play for these people, with the Sri Lankan people behind me." said Malinga, who sits third on the list of Sri Lanka's all-time leading ODI wicket-takers behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas.

"We have a new generation for 2023 and need to see who is the best for the next World Cup. It was the right time to go.

"Winning is very important because we are a young team. To survive in cricket you have to be yourself. I hope these young bowlers can put in match-winning performances. We have to look after them."